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Choosing the wrong auger can cost you time, grain quality, and money—especially during peak harvest when every minute counts.
Whether you’re unloading trucks, filling silos, or handling sensitive commodities like beans or fertiliser, the right setup makes a big difference to efficiency, safety, and long-term reliability.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to choose the right auger—and how to set up your system to keep grain moving faster.
Key questions to consider:
- What is going to be the main use for your auger?
- What capacity do you need?
- What height do you need to reach?
- What product are you handling?
- Do you need mobility or a self-propelled option?
- What features or durability matter most?
- What Are You Using Your Auger For?
Truck Loading & Unloading
At harvest, truck turnaround time is critical. Delays here quickly bottleneck your entire operation.
Best suited:
- 10”–13” augers for higher capacity
- Self-propelled augers for fast positioning
Recommended:
- 41’+ self-propelled augers
- 66’ & 71’ self-propelled augers for larger operations
Reduce Unloading Time at Peak Harvest
Even with the right auger, unloading can still slow you down if trucks are waiting to tip.
Pair Your Auger with a Drive Over Grid. A Drive Over Grid allows trucks to unload quickly and efficiently without the need for positioning over small hoppers.
Benefits:
- Faster truck turnaround times
- Reduced labour and positioning time
- Improved harvest flow and efficiency
- Ideal for high-volume operations
Pairing a Drive Over Grid with a high-capacity auger or swing-away system creates a seamless unloading process—keeping grain moving and reducing downtime when it matters most.
Filling Silos
When filling silos, height and reach are critical.
If your auger can’t reach, it becomes a bottleneck—no matter the capacity.
Recommended:
- 51’–71’ self-propelled augers
- 66’ & 71’ models for larger or expanding operations
Feeding Out & Small Bins
For smaller jobs, best suited:
- Pencil and mini augers (5”–8”)
Lightweight, versatile, cost-effective.
Filling Larger Silos, Bunkers & Grain Sheds
As farms scale up, standard augers often struggle with both reach and throughput.
If you’re running:
- Large flat-bottom silos
- Tall cone silos
- Bunkers
- Grain sheds
…it’s time to move to a higher-capacity solution.
Swing-Away Pro Driven Augers
Our Swing-Away Pro Driven range is designed for serious capacity:
- 71’, 86’, 96’ and 110’ lengths
- 13” diameter for maximum throughput
Our Swing-Away Pro Driven range is designed for serious capacity:
- Filling larger silos quickly
- Bunkers and grain sheds
- High-volume grain handling
👉 When paired with a Drive Over Grid, this setup becomes one of the most efficient ways to move grain during harvest.
Handling Beans, Lupins or Fertiliser?
Not all augers are suited to every product. Standard augers can:
- Crack or damage beans and lupins
- Wear faster when handling fertiliser
A Better Solution: Tube Conveyors
Our self-propelled tube conveyors provide:
- Gentler grain handling
- Reduced damage to beans and lupins
- Better performance with fertiliser
- Lower wear and longer machine life
👉 If you’re handling sensitive or corrosive products, a tube conveyor is often the smarter long-term investment.
Explore our tube conveyor range to learn more.
Auger Barrel: Options & approximate tonnes per hour (TPH) capacity.
Have you ever wondered is it worth going up a size in barrel to get extra capacity? or how long would a auger take to unload a truck? Below are some approximate capacities of the auger barrel options we can offer.
Ezy-Lift & Self Propelled Auger Barrel Options (34′-66′):
- 7″ – 60 TPH
- 9″ – 110 TPH
- 10″ – 160 TPH
- 11″ – 205 TPH
- 13″ – 230 TPH
Pencil & Mini Augers Barrel Options(15′-30′):
- 5″ – 12-15 TPH (Depending on motor)
- 6″ – 25-30 TPH
Auger Lift Height: Matching Your Silo
Choosing the correct auger length ensures safe and efficient filling.
Typical Lift Heights
Lift Heights: & Pencil Augers:
- 15′ – 2.3m
- 20′ – 3.3m
- 25′ – 4.2m
- 25′ – 5m
- 30′ – 5.9m
- 34′ – 7m
- 37′ – 7.3m
- 41′ – 8.2m
- 46′ – 9.4m
- 51′ – 10.4m
- 56′ – 11m
- 61′ – 12.3m
Silo Minimum Auger Requirements (GE Silos):
- 21 tonne silo – 33′
- 30 tonne silo – 36′
- 40 tonne silo – 36′
- 50 tonne silo – 40′
- 65 tonne silo – 46′
- 69 tonne silo – 50′
- 77 tonne silo – 56′
- 83 tonne silo – 56′
- 97 tonne silo – 65′
- 110 tonne silo – 65′
When Is It Time to Upgrade Your Setup?
If you’re experiencing:
- Slow truck unloading times
- Long wait times during harvest
- Auger not reaching silo height
- Increasing storage capacity
- Handling beans or fertiliser
…it may be time to upgrade your system—not just your auger.
👉 Often, the biggest gains come from combining:
- The right auger
- A Drive Over Grid
- Or upgrading to a swing-away or conveyor system
Features & Options
Features of Commander Ag Augers:
- Australian Made: Commander Ag augers are fully Australian Manufactured in Albany WA.
- One piece barrel & flighting: imported augers have split barrels and flighting due to transport. The single barrel option offers superior longevity & strength.
- Precision round spiral would barrel.
- Stretch fitted flighting: smoother operation, less contamination.
- Solid main drive shaft: longer lasting.
- Machined driveline couplings: less vibration.
- Intake end: Fully guarded double start flighting & cupped edge for better grain pickup.
- Final drive: Oil bath top end reducing maintenance & drive shaft, & duplex chain drive.
- Reversible Gearbox.
Optional Extras:
- Self Propelled Auger (Driver Kit): Available on all the larger augers (34′-61′), the option for hydraulic mover kit for the auger & also the barrel lift and tail lift. Alternatively there is the manual winch option. Recommended to go the self-propelled option for any auger you often move and any auger over 46′.
- Hydraulic Belt Tensioner:
- Diesel engine upgrade: recommended on all 13 inch augers, offering extra power and better output capacity.
- Dual work lights.
- Poly hopper.
- Poly flexi chute.
- Manual intake end choke.
Commander Ag offers a large range of augers to cater for your every grain moving need. Contact the team today to receive an obligation free quote for your new grain auger. Click here to view our grain auger range!
